Electrical controlling apparatus



Feb. 28, 1939. .1. F. JOY 2,148,473

ELEGTR TCAL CONTROLLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 2, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l Q1. A94 E19 M w Jizvewiw:

Feb. 28, 1939. J JOY 2,148,473

ELECTRTCAL CONTROLLING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 2, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .59 M w i .11.

W a I 9 6 MM 1 MFJzig Patented Feb. 28, 1939 PATENT OFFICE 2,148,47 3 ELECTRICAL CONTROLLING APPARATUS Joseph F. Joy,

Claremont, N. H., assignor to Sullivan Machinery Company, a corporation of Massachusetts Application January 2, 1936, Serial No. 57,169

15 Claims.

My invention relates to electrical controlling apparatus, and more particularly to electrical controlling apparatus of the reversing contactor type.

An object of my invention is to provide an improved electrical controlling apparatus. Another object of my invention is to provide an improved reversing contactor. A further object of my invention is to provide an improved reversing contactor operating with a snap action, whereby burning of the contacts is minimized. A further object of my invention is to provide an improved snap actuating mechanism for an electrical controlling apparatus. Still another object of my invention is to provide an improved electrical controlling apparatus having improved interlocking means locking both the primary actuating element and the contactor device actuate able thereby, so that the connections to be effected by the actuation of said device may be positively predetermined, and so that inadvertent reversal will be impossible. Other objects and advantages of my invention will hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown for purposes of illustration- Rig. 1 is a top view of the illustrative embodiment of the controlling apparatus, showing the same as it would appear from above when removed from its position in a suitable casing or compartment.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on the plane of the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, with parts shown in full.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view handle.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of an operating cam.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of an interlock.

Fig. 7 is a vertical longitudinal section on a plane corresponding to the line 1----! of Fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is a vertical transverse section on the planes of the line 8-8 of Fig. '7.

Fig. 9 is a horizontal section looking upward on the plane of the line 99 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 10 is a more or less diagrammatic View, with parts in section and other parts broken away, showing the contactor device in one operating position. I

Fig. 11 is a similar view, showing the operating parts in an opposite position.

of the apparatus of an operating Fig. 12 is a wiring diagram showing the connections of the apparatus.

Referring first briefly to Fig. 12, it will be noted that the motor M has its windings connected in delta, and that conductors l, 2 and 3 lead from 5 the connecting points of the windings Ml, M2, and M3 respectively to stationary contacts 4F and GR, 5F and 5B, and SF and SR. It will be noted, moreover, that operating bars I, 8 and 9 respectively carry, at their opposite ends and 10 electrically connected to them, appropriate contacts; the bar I carrying contacts HF and ISR, the bar 8 carrying contacts HF and I 4B, and the bar 9 carrying contacts I6F and 16R. It will be observed-that the power lines Ll, L2 and L3 are each connected to one of the contact carrying bars and to the contacts thereon, the line Ll connected to the contacts HF and I5R, the line L2 connected tothe contacts I5F and MR, and the line L3 connected to the contacts 20 5F and SR. The three bars I, 8 and 9 move together, as will later be described, and in one position connect contacts 4F and HF, contacts 5F and I5F, and contacts 6F and IGF; while in the other operating position of the bars 1, 8 and 9, contacts SR, and I5R, contacts 4R and HR, and contacts BR and IGR' are-connected. It will be noted that with this arrangement a reversal of the position of the bars 7, 8 and 9 will effect a reversal of the motor in a well known 30 manner.

Now, referring to the construction of the contactor device per se, of which the bars 1, 8 and 9 and the various contacts previously mentioned form a part, it will be noted that a front plate 5 28 has secured thereto a frame, generally designated 2|, made up of a plate 22 carrying a rearwardly extending frame member 23 welded to the top portion 24 of another frame portion 25 which comprises a pair of side bars 26 of angular construction secured at their forward ends to the plate 22 and a rear plate portion 2'! extending upwardly in parallelism with the plate portion 22. It will be observed that the portion 21 may be said to be held in spaced parallel re- 45 lation to the plate portion 22 by three parallel, triangularly arranged brace or supporting portions 23, 26 and 28. Suitable insulating panels 29 and 38 are supported, as 'by suitable bolts 3|, in parallel, forwardly and rearwardly extending 50 relation at opposite sides of the upper portion of the frame part 23 and the upper part of the frame part 24. These support suitable removable arc boxes 34, 35, 36, 31', 38 and 39, the first three are boxes mentioned being detachably mounted upon the panel 29, and the other three detachably mounted upon the panel 39, in a well known manner. Appropriate arc boxes for this purpose are well known commercial articles, and it is therefore unnecessary to go into detail with respect to either their construction or their mode of removability from the panels 29 and 39. Each panel supports three stationary contacts, one within each of the arc boxes, and Fig. 3 shows the stationary contacts 4R and F, previously mentioned. Each of the stationary contacts is connected to an upwardly extending conductor strip, to which prime numbers corresponding to the numbers of the arc boxes have been applied. Forexample, the stationary contact 4R. is connected to an upwardly extending, rigid contact strip 35'. These contact strips, the contacts, and the arc box supports are all appropriately supported by the panels 29 and 3|]. The contact strips 34', 38' and 35, 31' are respectively connected together by cross connections 49 and 4|, while the contact strips 36 and 39 are cross connected by a connection 42.

Within a. bearing bushing 45 formed in the plate 21, and another bearing bushing 46 carried by the plates 20 and 22, there is journaled an operating shaft 41 which has a polygonal portion 48 intermediate said bearings surrounded by an insulating cover 49 and having clamped thereto arms 1, 8 and 9. As will be apparent from Fig. 3, each of the arms 1, 8 and 9 comprises portions at opposite sides of the shaft 48, and each of the portions mentioned carries a stirrup-like part 58 having a button 5| on which a spring 52 reacts to maintain one of the movable contacts |4F, I5F, I6F, I5R, I4R, |6R yieldingly in position on the arm. As shown in Fig. 3, the movable contact elements comprise supporting portions 53 having buttons 54 also engaged by the spring 52 and loosely interlocked at 55 with an end of the supporting arm, while its other end, 56, seats in a recess 51 in the arm mounting. Pigtails 58 connect each of the supporting arms 53 with appropriate stationary contacts which will now be described.

A terminal board, so to speak, 60 is positioned between sleeves 6| on transverse bolts 62 extending between the frame parts 26 adjacent to and herein beneath the operating shaft 41; and the pigtails 58 previously mentioned are connected to suitable connector devices 63, to each of which one of the lines LI, L2 and L3 is connected Now, from what has been described, it will be evident that the shaft 41, upon rocking in one direction, will move the yieldingly mounted contacts at one side thereof into engagement with one of the series of stationary contacts supported by the panels 29 and 39, while, upon a rocking movement in the opposite direction, the shaft 41 will cause the movable contacts at the other side thereof to engage the other set of stationary contacts.

To control the movement of the shaft 41 and with it the movable contacts, to prevent undesired movements thereof, and to insure a snap movement thereof, operating and controlling mechanism, which will now be described, is employed. The forward end of the shaft 41 is provided forwardly of the bearing bushing 46 with an operating cam 65 which is keyed thereto, as at 66. This cam has thereon two series of surfaces; at its lower portion it has interlock surfaces including a surface 61 near the rearwardend thereof facing in one direction, and a surface 68 near the other end thereof facing in the opposite direction; these surfaces, when engaged by a suitable abutment, respectively preventing rotation of the cam in mutually opposite directions. The cam member also has three other surfaces including a surface 69 which is depressed between its ends and which is directly opposite the space formed between the planes of the surfaces 61 and 68. It has a slightly concave throwing surface and another slightly concave throwing surface 1|, the surfaces 19 and 1| being at opposite sides of the surface 69 and separated from the latter by so-tospeak humps 12 and 13, respectively.

In advance of the cam 65, the forward end of the shaft 41 carries an operating handle 15, which, while supported by the shaft 41, is rotatable relative thereto. This handle has an operating, manual grasping portion 16 and is provided with a longitudinally extending bore 11 in which an operating spring 18 surrounding a plunger 19 carrying a guide 80 slidably guided within the handle 15, is adapted to press the guide 89 radially toward the shaft 41 at all times. The guide 80 carries a cam-engaging roller 8|, and a pin 82 cooperating with a slot 83 in the handle assures guided movement of the roller'supporting guide.

Now, when the cam 65 occupies the position of Fig. 8, and the handle occupies the position of that figure, there is no tendency to turn the cam 65 or the shaft 41. However, if the handle is thrown laterally in either direction so that the roller passes just beyond one or the other of the humps 12 or 13, the compression of the spring 18 will act to cause the roller 8| to turn the cam 65 to rock the shaft 41. Adjustable stop devices 86 and 81, to limit the motion of the handle 15, are provided on the face of the plate 20.

To prevent undesired motion of the cam 65, and also to lock the handle 15 in the position of Figs. 7 and 8, there is provided an interlock device 89 mounted in a suitable frame or support 9|] secured to the face of the plate 29. The frame 98 provides a pair of spaced guide surfaces 9| between which there is slidably mounted an interlocking element 92 having a lower pin 93 to be grasped during the sliding of the member 92 longitudinally between its guides, and the mem-' ber 92 is provided at its top with a pair of up- Standing lugs 94 and 95, the lug 94 being adapted to cooperate with the handle in controlling the movement of the latter, and the lug 95 to cooperate with the surfaces 61 and 68 in controlling the movement of the cam 65. The handle 15' is provided with portions 96 and 91 at the opposite side of the shaft 41 from the main body of the handle and providing surfaces 98 and 99 respectively offset from each other longitudinally of the axis of pivotal movement of the shaft, but facing generally oppositely. The surfaces 98 and 99 are spaced sufficiently so that the lug 94 on the interlock 92 may slide longitudinally from a position in which one side thereof engages the surface 98 and prevents turning movement of the handle 15 in one direction, to a positionin-which the other side of the lug 94 may engage the surface 99 and prevent opposite movement of the handle 15. In like manner, the surfaces 61 and 6B are spaced sufficiently far apart in a direction perpendicular to their respective planes, so that the lug 95 on the interlock 92 may be slid from a position in which one side thereof engages the surface 61 and prevents turning of the cam 65 in one direction, to a position where the other side of the lug 95 engages the surface 68 and prevents opposite turning movement of the cam 65. It will be observed that the lug 94 will engage the surface 98 at the same time that the lug 95 engages the 2,14a,47a the opposite position of surface 88, and that in the interlock 92 the lug 94 will engage the surface 99, while the lug 95 engages the surface 61. From this it follows that when the interlock is in one of its two motion-permitting positions, the cam may turn in one direction about its axis, turning the shaft 41 with it in that direction; while the handle 15 is free to turn only in the direction opposite that in which the cam is free to move. A suitably spring-actuated ball I 0|! cooperating with recesses lfll (of which one is shown in Fig. 8) in the guideway 9|, holds the interlock 92 in difl'erent adjusted positio Now, the mode of operation of this apparatus will be apparent from what has already been said, but it may be summarized for convenience at this point. With the interlock member 92 in what may be called its intermediate position, the opposite faces of the lug 94 will engage portions of both the surface 98 and. the surface 99 and lock the handle 15 in its mid-position. Concurrently, opposite faces of the lug 95 will engage portions of both the surface 61 and the surface 88; and the cam 55, and with it the shaft 41, will be locked in neutral position. In this position of the parts, no connections between the power lines and the motor will be made.

Now, if the operator grasps the pin 93 and moves the interlock 92 forwardly, this will effect disengagement of the lug 95 from the surface 51, and of the lug 94 from the surface 99. Accordingly, the handle I5 may be thrown clockwise, with reference to Fig. 8, and the cam 65, and with it the shaft 41, will be free to rotate counter-clockwise and thereby effect the movement of the parts to the position of Fig. 11. It will be evident that during the motion of the handle from its vertical position to the position shown in Fig. 11, engagement of the surface 68 with the lug 95 prevented clockwise tuming of the cam 65.

It will be possible for the operator to move the handle back to mid-position without having to eifect any change in position of the interlock 92 and if this is done, the action of the springpressed roller will be to restore the shaft 41 to its non-contact-making position. If the operator desires to bring about an opposite action of the motor, he will slide the contact block 92 rearwardly to disengage the lug 94 from the surface 98, and the lug 95 from the surface 68, and then the handle I5 may be thrown to the position shown in Fig. 10, with the result that the cam 65, and with it the shaft 41, will be thrown to the opposite contact-making position.

From the foregoing description, it will be clear that I have provided a simple, safe contactor device, adapted to lock the parts thereof in. "oil position when desired, and effective to permit the establishment of forward or reverse connection at the will of the operator, but effective to preclude accidental making of any except the desired connections. It will be further noted that the device is effective to produce sharp, full snap movements of the contacts, thereby to minimize burning of the contacts. It will be observed that the device is built up of simple parts and is particularly free from any liability to mishap, due to its rugged and simple construction.

While I have in this application specifically described one form which my invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this form is shown for purposes of illustration only, and that the invention may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a reverse switch, a shaft movable oppositely from a neutral position to establish opposite running conditions, a cam on said shaft, an element yieldably pressed against said cam, means for supporting and moving said element to different positions with respect to the cam including a neutral position and positions respectively at opposite sides of said neutral position, said cam having a surface upon which said element in saidneutral position reacts to maintain said cam stationary and having surfaces at opposite sides of its first mentioned surface upon which said element reacts in its positions at opposite sides of its neutral position to impart opposite turning mements to said cam, and means coacting both with said cam and with the supporting and moving means for said element, for controlling the move ments of both of the same.

2. In a reverse switch, a shaft movable oppositely from a neutral position to establish opposite running conditions, a cam on said shaft, an element yieldably pressed against said cam, means for supporting and moving said element to different positions with respect to the cam including a neutral position and positions respectively at opposite sides of said neutral position, said cam having a surface upon which said element in said neutral position reacts to maintain said cam stationary and having surfaces at opposite sides of its first mentioned surface upon which said element reacts in its positions at opposite sides of its neutral position to impart opposite turning moments to said cam, and interlocking means cooperating both with said cam and with the supporting and moving means for said element, for locking both of the same against movement in either direction or freeing the same for movements in mutually opposite directions.

3. In a reverse switch, a shaft movable oppositely from a neutral position to establish opposite running conditions, a cam fixed on said shaft, a handle rotatably mounted on said shaft and carrying a yieldably pressed cam engagingmemher, and interlocking means optionally movable to preclude movement of said cam in one direction and of said handlein the opposite direction.

4. In a reverse switch, a shaft movable oppositely from a neutral position to establish opposite running conditions, a cam on said shaft, a handle rotatably mounted on said shaft and carrying yieldingly-pressed cam-throwing means, and an interlocking device for controlling the movement both of said cam and of said handle, slidable longitudinally of said shaft to alter the movements permitted said handle and said cam.

'5. In a reverse switch, a shaft movable oppositely from a neutral position to establish opposite running conditions, a cam on said shaft, a handle rotatably mounted on said shaft and carrying yieldingly-pressed cam-throwing means, and an interlocking device for controlling the movement both of said cam and of said handle, slidable longitudinally of said shaft to alter the movements permitted said handle and said cam and precluding movements of said cam in the same direction as said handle is moved.

6. In a reverse switch, a shaft movable oppositely from a neutral position to establish opposite running conditions, sets of movable contacts carried thereby, banks of stationary contacts selectively engageable by one or the other of said sets of movable contacts, means rotatable relative to said shaft for actuating said shaft in opposite directions, and means for locking said shaft and -vidually, movable to release them only simultaneously.

8. In a reverse switch, a shaft movable oppositely from a neutral position to establish opposite running conditions, sets of movable contacts carried thereby, banks of stationary contacts selectively engageable by one orthe other of said sets of movable contacts, means for actuating said shaft in opposite directions, and means for locking said shaft and said actuating means individually, movable to release them only simultaneously and for movements in angularly opposite directions.

9. In a reverse switch, a contact moving member movable oppositely from a neutral position to establish opposite running conditions, a cam fixed to said member, means movable relative to said cam while the latter remains stationary for causing the latter to move said member in directions generally opposite to the directions of movement of said means, and means for holding said cam against movement in the direction of movement of said movable means.

10. In a switch mechanism, a cam supported for turning movement, devices operatively connected with said cam and movable upon opposite movements of said cam from a neutral position to establish different running conditions, an element yieldingly pressed against said cam, means for supporting and moving said element to different positions with respect to saidcam to cause the same to exert oppositely effective throwing forces on said cam, and'means coacting with said cam and also coacting with said supporting and ment yieldingly pressed against said cam, means rotatable about the axis of turning of said cam for supporting and moving said element to different positions with respect to said cam to cause the same to exertoppositely efiective throwing forces on said cam, and means coacting with said cam and also coacting with said supporting and moving means for said element, for controlling the movements of each of the same.

12. In a switch mechanism, a cam supported for turning movement, devices operatively connected with said cam and movable upon opposite movements of said cam from a neutral position to establish different running conditions, an element yieldingly pressed against said cam, means rotatable about the axis of turning of said cam for supporting and moving said element to different positions with respect to said cam to cause the same to exert oppositely effective throwing forces on said cam, and means coacting with said cam, as distinguished from the means for exerting a throwing force thereon, for controlling the turning thereof.

13. In a switch mechanism, a cam supported for turning movement, devices operatively connected with said cam and movable upon opposite movements of the latter from a neutral position to establish different operating conditions, means for selectively exerting on said cam throwing forces operative to turn the same in opposite directions, and means coacting' individually with said cam and with said force-exerting means for locking both of the same.

14. In a switch mechanism, a cam movable oppositely to efiect different operating conditions, means for selectively exerting thereon forces respectively operative to throw the same oppositely, and means for individually locking both said cam and said force-exerting means.

15. In a switch mechanism, a shaft movable into any one of a plurality of positions to effect different operating conditions, means for effecting a snap actuation of said shaft including a cam movable with said shaft and means movable relative to said shaft and coacting with said cam, and means for selectively locking said cam and said last mentioned means against movement in the same direction or against movement in any direction.

JOSEPH F. JOY. 

